A mother's raw and insightful words of hope after she experienced a miscarriage, are resonating with - and providing comfort to - parents around the world.
In a post for the Love What Matters Facebook page, Emily shared her story, her grief, and her message of support for other women - and men - who are facing similar heartache.
Emily wrote that she and her husband had been been waiting eight long weeks to see her little one for the first time when they went for their ultrasound. "I saw the images right in front of me," she wrote. "My heart was beating out of my chest. This was exciting!"
And yet, Emily knew that something was wrong. "These images were different than the ones I've seen on Facebook that all my girlfriends had posted," she wrote. "I saw nothing because my body was just hours away from miscarrying."
While her husband tried to reassure her that "everything is fine", Emily wrote that she had seen "hundreds" of ultrasound photos and had searched Instagram for the hashtag "8weeks" to see what her growing baby looked like.
"I knew it wasn't right and it wasn't," she said.
And yet, in that moment, Emily felt afraid to cry - unsure if she "deserved" the tears, because "I wasn't that far along," and "this happens all the time".
Sent home to let her body "naturally run its course", Emily explained that while her doctor did warn her about what to expect, she didn't warn her about "everything that would happen after the initial heartbreak and pain."
She didn't know, for example, that she'd be reminded for weeks to come - the time it took for her body to "clean out". She didn't know that she was going to have to watch her husband weep, and how hard it would be to tell her own mother about their loss.
"She didn't tell me that my body was going to continue thinking it was pregnant for weeks to come," Emily continued. "She didn't tell me how hard it was going to be to tell people I was fine when I wasn't."
Emily wrote that she also didn't know she'd turn into a jealous person "overnight", and just how much harder the question, "When are you having kids?" would become.
"And she didn't tell me that it was going to be so hard losing someone I had never met."
And yet, the doctor did tell Emily it was okay to cry - and that she wasn't alone. "Miscarriages are SO real and so common, in fact, one out of four women experience a miscarriage," she wrote, adding that it's important not to think that this makes it hurt any less.
"As large as this statistic is," Emily continued, "I still felt alone and I have finally figured out why: because no one talks about it."
It wasn't until she began to talk, to her mum and her sister, her aunt and her friends, that Emily realised how many women have experienced the same heartbreak and pain.
Reflecting on her decision to share her experience publicly, Emily explained that despite the cliche, "time really doesn't heal all wounds." Instead, Emily hopes sharing her story will help with the healing process - and ensure other women don't feel so isolated.
She wrote:
I hope that you won't feel alone.
I hope that you let yourself cry.
I hope that you will see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I hope that though your faith will be tested, you will be strong.
I hope you find peace.
I hope you won't be afraid to try again.
I hope that you don't blame yourself.
I hope that your friends hug you a little tighter.
I hope that you give someone else hope through your hardship
I hope that you are a light in the darkest of time.
… and I hope that you celebrate that baby's life as much as you celebrate the next because no matter how short a life, all life deserves to be celebrated and all loss should be mourned.
Emily's raw and honest words have been shared over 33,000 times. Many parents have added their own stories of baby loss - and for some, their miracle rainbow babies, too.
"My husband and I had faced infertility for 8 years," one mother wrote. "We have 3 angels watching us until we meet them. We eventually quit trying. After 8 years a miracle happened and she will be turning 6 TOMORROW. Never give up."
One woman provided insight into what it's like being on the other side of the ultrasound when parents receive heartbreaking news.
"As the ultrasound tech I frequently pray for and cry on my way home for my patients," she wrote. " I try to give every mom a photo so she has a bit of her baby to remember and cherish. Her baby existed and mattered to many. "
One man shared his family's own experience - and the painful feelings he suffered as he grieved.
"I've always said that WE suffered a miscarriage," he wrote. "What hurt me is I felt as though I didn't protect my family, I felt like there should've been something I could've done, just one thing, to protect my wife and unborn child so this wouldn't happen. It took a while for me to settle in my mind and heart that life just sometimes happens."
Read Emily's post in full below:
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